What is Baptism?
Baptism is about life.
More specifically, our new life in Christ. It is an essential part of our journey towards Jesus. All of us who have decided that Jesus is the son of God and that we want to pattern our lives after his, must be baptized. Jesus did it and he commanded his followers to do it. When we are baptized, we make our conversion public and tangible. It’s an act of obedience on our part.
Baptism is a gift.
We often say that baptism is an outward symbol of an inward grace. That simply means that baptism is the visible sign of something invisible that’s taking place in us. It is the sign of our identification with Christ. We’ve put all our chips on him. This is it. We’re going down into the water with him and by his grace we come up again cleansed and raised into new life.
Baptism is a benchmark in our faith journey.
It’s not optional. Baptism is an opportunity for the church family to gather around in the presence of God and affirm that the Holy Spirit is present and at work in a person. And it’s an opportunity to celebrate and welcome a person into the family of God. It's bigger than your birthday! You now identify with Christ. You are adopted into the family of God.
We all need to be baptized because we need this anchor in our faith. Following Jesus is not easy but baptism is permanent and witnessed. Does it mean that you are never allowed to doubt again? Or to make mistakes? Absolutely not. But it means that when you're struggling there will be a marker you can look back to - a tangible reminder of God’s grace and your adoption into a new family. Baptism is both an act of obedience and gift of God’s grace.
If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God. If you are reorienting your life in order to live like Jesus lived, then it’s time to be baptized.
Baptism is about life.
More specifically, our new life in Christ. It is an essential part of our journey towards Jesus. All of us who have decided that Jesus is the son of God and that we want to pattern our lives after his, must be baptized. Jesus did it and he commanded his followers to do it. When we are baptized, we make our conversion public and tangible. It’s an act of obedience on our part.
Baptism is a gift.
We often say that baptism is an outward symbol of an inward grace. That simply means that baptism is the visible sign of something invisible that’s taking place in us. It is the sign of our identification with Christ. We’ve put all our chips on him. This is it. We’re going down into the water with him and by his grace we come up again cleansed and raised into new life.
Baptism is a benchmark in our faith journey.
It’s not optional. Baptism is an opportunity for the church family to gather around in the presence of God and affirm that the Holy Spirit is present and at work in a person. And it’s an opportunity to celebrate and welcome a person into the family of God. It's bigger than your birthday! You now identify with Christ. You are adopted into the family of God.
We all need to be baptized because we need this anchor in our faith. Following Jesus is not easy but baptism is permanent and witnessed. Does it mean that you are never allowed to doubt again? Or to make mistakes? Absolutely not. But it means that when you're struggling there will be a marker you can look back to - a tangible reminder of God’s grace and your adoption into a new family. Baptism is both an act of obedience and gift of God’s grace.
If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God. If you are reorienting your life in order to live like Jesus lived, then it’s time to be baptized.
What kind of baptism do we practice at Kings?
We practice what is traditionally called 'believers baptism' or 'baptism by immersion' at Kings.
This means that we baptize youth and adults at the point that they identify themselves as Christ followers. It involves making a confession of faith in front of the congregation (usually in the form of your faith story) and being fully immersed in water by one of the pastors. Going under the water symbolizes dying with Christ and therefore your death to sin. Coming up out of the water symbolizes being raised up into a new life with Christ. The church has always used water as a symbol of cleansing and the Holy Spirit. Being fully dipped in water is a powerful, tangible and public sign of our conversion, identification with Jesus and being filled with the Spirit.
We practice what is traditionally called 'believers baptism' or 'baptism by immersion' at Kings.
This means that we baptize youth and adults at the point that they identify themselves as Christ followers. It involves making a confession of faith in front of the congregation (usually in the form of your faith story) and being fully immersed in water by one of the pastors. Going under the water symbolizes dying with Christ and therefore your death to sin. Coming up out of the water symbolizes being raised up into a new life with Christ. The church has always used water as a symbol of cleansing and the Holy Spirit. Being fully dipped in water is a powerful, tangible and public sign of our conversion, identification with Jesus and being filled with the Spirit.
What should I do if I want to be baptized?
Talk to one of the pastors. They'll set up some times to meet with you, answer any questions, hear where you're coming from, and help you prepare the story you'll share with the congregation.
Talk to one of the pastors. They'll set up some times to meet with you, answer any questions, hear where you're coming from, and help you prepare the story you'll share with the congregation.